Do I tell the vet plainly about my budget?

[AphroditesSeashell]

16 year old moggy, much loved. Getting old and seemingly not in the best of health

To demonstrate that I'm not a cold-hearted demon, I'll mention that when he was 18 months old he came home with a terrible injury - not sure what happened, possibly hit with a car. He needed emergency surgery on a broken pelvis, had horrible external pins and needed to live in a dog-crate for 8 months to recover, with sponge baths, helping with the toilet etc etc. Cost a fortune at the time. Had the funds and time and was happy to do it, we rallied as a family as it was a big investment in time and money. As I say, much loved.

Anyway, on to now. He is 16.Getting old and a bit blithery. Forgets he's been fed, sleeps in odd places he never would have before. But importantly not in any pain, shiny coat, still loves a cuddle, eats plenty and generally is a happy mog. I have a vet appointment on Thursday as we've noticed he's lost some weight, is very thirsty and has started peeing on things in the house - something he has never done.

Google says it's possible diabetes or a kidney issue. Hopefully we can get him sorted.

Issue is, I no longer have a limitless budget for his treatment. If he needs medicine that will cost £150 per month to help him, that's fine. But I can't afford £1000 for tests AND £150 pcm. Is it reasonable to tell the vet this? I could get a loan or a credit card but really, I'd rather not get into debt if I could avoid it. I could probably mange £500 for tests but over that, the money just isn't there.

No pet insurance for him. By the time he turned 10 the price was huge and it wasn't economic. Besides his injury at a young age, he's never really had to visit the vet, he's always been a hardy wee thing. (And no, I didn't put the insurance payment money in a life-saving pot for this eventuality because COL crisis and funds needed elsewhere)

Maybe I'm catastrophising and he only needs a wee antibiotic but all I read these days is that vet fees are astronomical and not always very well explained before they start wracking up the charges.

Yes, be upfront with them. It will allow them to prioritise things that they may want to do (investigations/trial treatment etc). I would be expecting a blood test as a minimum

Yes, just tell them what your budget is. My DD is a vet. They won’t judge you and they will be able to tell he’s a well loved cat.

We’ve just had some similar issues with our much younger cat. After 3 vet consultations, one urine test, one blood test and some medication that I’m not convinced made any difference at all we’re down around £600. We still don’t really know what’s wrong. The medication alone was £60 for a weeks worth!
Be clear with the vet what you want and how much you’re prepared to spend.

Of course it's fine to tell the vet your budget, and refuse some types of tests/treatment. Once my cats get to this type of age I don't want them to have too many interventions, whether they have insurance or not.

One of my cats had kidney failure and it was not expensive to treat. It was blood tests and then medication. He only lived for a few months after diagnosis.

Absolutely. They are probably still obliged to tell you that the gold standard treatment is X so you can make an informed decision, but that conservative investigation/ management would be Y or Z.

My elderly old cat is very healthy but once he starts to go down hill I don’t plan to spend endless sums of money keeping him alive an extra year or two. I do spend extra on high quality food now he’s alive, though.

Being callous if it is kidney issues then the treatment is pretty limited post diagnosis anyway as it's mostly diet based. Renal food is pricey but not as expensive as on going medication

Yes absolutely.

I have had a lot of older cats, in my experience this is either something serious in which case I would pts. Or it is just something very minor which will cost you a few hundred at most. It’s rarely in between. A lot of the treatment options now I’m not convinced are the right thing to do. A case of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.

If it is serious I think pts is usually the right decision- with much loved pets once the decline starts it is much kinder to let them
go earlier rather than later.

Sounds very much like kidneys to me, which I went through with Boycat 3 years ago before we had to PTS. He was insured, but due to his "issues" (thick as shit, clumsy, attention span of a paralytic gnat etc, either ND or had had a brain injury before rescue we think), he couldn't have coped with long drawn out treatment & that decision had been made years before he got ill.

Tests for kidney are blood tests and urine, not horrifically expensive. The special food is but Boycat wouldn't eat that, and his appetite was poor nearer the end so it was a case of feed him what he would eat. There is an appetite stimulant you can get, and if your cat is hard to pill you can get a version you rub into the skin in their ears (v little hair, thin skin so absorbs well) & only worked for a while with Boycat.

All medication is basically symptom control for e.g. blood pressure, anaemia, anti-nausea, there is no cure as such. Whether it's worth it or not does depend very much on your cat & his tolerance for things like medication, and how unhappy it could make him having to have multiple meds. It also depends on just how bad the kidneys are - Boycat went from a perfect MoT with compliments on his condition to PTS in under 9 months, whereas others can go on for years on just a restricted (but very expensive) diet.

You know your cat better than anyone, so only you can decide in consultation with your vet once you know all the details. Just remember the worst guilt you can feel is if you leave it too long so they suffer at the end, better a week too soon than a day too late.

Oh dear, just re-read & realised that was a bit doom & gloom. There definitely will be a condition like kidneys or maybe diabetes, but you can't tell how bad until you have test results and his may be easily managed - I just tend to look at all possibilities (project management background).

Thanks for your response. Not doom & gloom; just facts, which I appreciate.

I feel like many of the posters here: if the alternative is drawn out discomfort, I would prefer to pts sooner rather than later. But then I've mentioned this to the family and they were horrified. It seems they think I should be re-mortgaging the house to ensure his recovery! As I say, much loved. But I'd like to remember him as the happy soul he is and not unwell and confused.

I assume he'll get some blood tests done and then they'll contact me in a few days time to let me know the options. I won't need to make a decision about pts on Thursday, will I? I'm not prepared for that. I think I'd need to break it to the family ahead of time and let them dote on him for a good few days beforehand.

I let my boy go a little bit early while he was still happy and not in pain. He was old and frail and it was never going to be easy even if I waited and waited, there isn’t enough time
the vet said I was the most sensible owner she had seen regarding it and it was obvious how much I cared for him
i have never regretted it

If he's currently reasonably well you will have time to prepare. I just had my 16yo cat PTS last week because he was suddenly very ill and it was his kidneys. The vet tried a few things before telling us there wasn't any hope and it cost us a grand we didn't need to spend! I stayed they had told me on day 1 that there was little to no hope. He didn't eat for two days, we still were able to take him home and say goodbye before taking him in the last time.
You have time.

It’s might well be that some antibiotics or a change in diet will give him a good few more months if not years. If he’s not in pain or obvious distress then I’m fairly sure you’ll be fine to take him home and enjoys him a bit longer. We’ve reached a point where the next option is an ultra sound. £1500! Our cat is young so we’re going to have to think about it!

Definitely tell them. And don't be afraid to get a second opinion with another practice.

I rehomed a dog a year ago and the vet said she needed a tooth to be removed. They estimated something like £600-£1000. She's an old dog so insurance doesn't cover teeth. A friend recommended a different vet, they estimated about £300 along with a local charity who contribute towards vet bills in certain circumstances.

Turns out she had to have two teeth out, with the other vet, cost £303 and the charity contributed half the cost.

So yes, be upfront, ask about local charities who might be able to help and, if she needs expensive treatment, shop around.

We always said with our last cat that we wouldn’t pay for expensive treatment. She had a thyroid problem and a liver problem when we had her PTS. We didn’t have tests to try to work out exactly what was wrong with her liver as it was going to kill her regardless. The vet understood.

My DCat started having accidents everywhere, aged 16 and losing weight. It turned out be lymphoma with a tumour wrapped round her bladder and bowel. The vet gave us two choices - chemotherapy, which he said would only work for 3 months at her age; or steroids to improve her appetite to give her another 3 months. He told me how much the steroids would cost per day.

I chose the steroids, as the kinder option. We had her pts, when she got wise to the steroids in her food and she spat them out. Then, she started withdrawing. The vet said we had made the right decision - cats are clean animals and messing themselves up, causes them distress.

As pp have said, better pts a week early than a day late!

Vet here.
Just be honest and open about what you can and can't afford. Vets should give you several options re treatment/ investigations.
He's is YOUR pet and YOU make the decisions. ( that's my mantra anyway)
Good luck and I hope it's not anything to serious!

Unless you have left it till the last possible moment and your cat is suffering (and it doesn't sound like that's the case) you won't need to make a PTS decision on the spot. When my cat had kidney failure he did pretty well for a couple of months, was happy and eating well. Then suddenly he went downhill. My vet said 'your cat will tell you when it's time" and he was right, he did.

Remembr that if he needs ongoings meds you can ask for a prescription and buy them cheaper online.

If it is kidneys, there are certain signs when the time is getting close. The coat can start to go a bit (Boycat's was sort of spikey & didn't lay flat any more), they can start to smell a bit different do to the toxins the kidneys can no longer clear, and they can show signs of senility (hard to tell with an older cat anyway) like wandering around yelling at strange hours. They can have loss of appetite, and though Boycat didn't, many start to vomit more than they used to.

And of course the weight loss - try to get someone who knows him to come round every week or so to see if they can spot the difference as you see him every day. I remember DSis coming round shocked at just how much weight he had lost when she hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks, whereas I hadn't realised it was as much as to me it was gradual.

I also have a 16 year old cat. He is wonderful but getting a little doddery, forgets where his food bowl is and I have noticed him drinking a lot more and his urine smells more strongly than it used to. Honestly, we wouldn’t put him through any investigations at his age, we will let him live his happy life while he’s ok but if he started having issues like weeing outside the litter tray constantly then we would make the decision to have him put to sleep. Anything else I think would be cruel and wouldn’t fix him. We also no longer have insurance for him, at his age it was a wasted cost.

Speaking as a vet- yes, please lead with this! It saves everyone time.
Your vet should still discuss options and all prices but can focus on what's affordable.
If he is really hungry, diabetes or hyperthyroidism more likely, if not hungry, kidney disease is more likely. I hope all goes well x

Update: DC (Dear Cat) got some blood tests. The vet would prefer his levels were lower due to his age but they are technically all within the 'normal' ranges. Quick urine test (he had wee'd in his box) did not directly indicate diabetes, either. Great news.

He's been given some antibiotics just in case there's something working on him...

Basically, £200 to have medical confirmation that he is indeed old 😆 money well spent, I'm relieved to know for sure instead of thinking the worst. Very glad that he seems generally pretty well, if a tad thirsty.

Once they get old the kidneys and hormones go - same with humans 🤷‍♀️😂🤣 - so you’re looking at medication for kidneys and also most likely the contraceptive pill as
male cats with no bollocks end up needing the female pill